Oppression!

Assalaam-u-aliakum Reader,

France's ban of the burkha/niqab came into effect on Monday 11th April, despite many protests against this. Rather than going into a lengthy sermon on how incensed I am by all this, I thought I'd share a poem with you. It's not directly related to the ban, but I thought it expressed my opinions on the subject quite well. 

My Hijab

©2010

    

My rightful Dignity.
Modestly t                 hrown over
my head,                                     a cover
for on                                                 ly one
to dis                                                      cover.
It’s Fre                                                         edom
in a cl                                                               oth of
pure Sim                                                            plicity,
my hija                                                                 b is my
Inte                                                                          grity.
I’m only                                                                judged
by what                                                             I say and
what I do,                                                      rather than
the way I                                                     look to you.
A symbol of                                             my Identity,
it means such a                              great deal to me.
A form of worship it                 truly can be. I wonder
why some people don’t understand, isn’t freedom of expression
a form of Liberty? Yet they chose to deny me, this common courtesy,
constantly telling me, that I’m oppressed, repressed, depressed. Telling me that I
need to be freed. Freed by commercial ideas of Beauty, a doll of desire, what they call
womanly. Outward appearances seem to rule their ideas of Civility and Popularity.
Don’t they know that it is what’s inside that counts. That one day we’ll all be
called to account, for all our deeds and Impropriety. Why can’t they see,
that this pathway is the life I chose for me? And though I know people
still talk and glare, question my Sanity, I will always stand
by what I heartily believe. Because this is my
Hijab, that I wear so
proudly.

***

As Muslims we are taught to not stand for oppression, to never oppress anyone, to always fight against it. In a hadith narrated by Abu Dharr, the Prophet (PBUH) said that the Almighty Allah (swa) said:

"O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another."

Sahih Muslim, 32:6246

This because oppression stems from two things that are hate by Allah subhan-watallah: belief in one's own superiority (arrogance) and hatred for a person or a group of people (e.g. a religious or racial sect). And hatred stems not only from a lack of understanding, but also from a stubborn desire to not understand. And this has always been the case. For example, there was the Fir'aun (Pharaoh) at the time of Moses (AS) who would not free the Children of Isreal (Surat Ash-Shu'ara 26:10-67). Or what about the oppression of African slaves before the American civil war.

And all this this still happening now, here in the west. The western people believe their way of life is much superior to us Muslims, who are "uncivilised" and "backwards" in our ideas and clothing. And it is only those who do not understand Islam see us as a threat and hate us. And unfortunately, this is the prevailing thought in many areas. And so they oppress us and stop us from practising our religion freely. The banning of the niqab is just the first step. It is a form of oppression because they're taking away a woman's right to wear whatever she likes.

As Muslims we cannot allow any oppression to continue, especially upon our brothers and sisters. So we need to increase awareness of women's rights and of Islam. And we should all raise our hands and pray for our sisters that are suffering in France and in other western countries. 

Fi-imaanullah, wassalaam-u-aalaikum, wa rehmatullahi, wa barakatuhu,   

Nida

small KINDNESS

Assalaamu 'alaykum - May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you

The following are the verses of Surah Al-Ma'un (small kindness) which is chapter 107 of the Holy Qur'an:

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem - In the name of Allah, the Benificent the Merciful

Have you observed him who belies religion?
That is he who repels the orphan,
And urges not the feeding of the needy.
Ah, woe to worshippers,
Who are heedless of their prayer;
Who would be seen (at worship),
Yet refuse small kindness!

Let this remind you and I, that the smallest act of kindness has a great weight to it. Sometimes we are so concerned with doing big things and changing the world that we forget these small acts; even smiling at our brothers and sisters is recorded with Allah azzawajal.

The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said:

'Giving charity is incumbent upon every bone of every human being every day that the sun rises: To judge fairly between people is charity. To help someone mount his animal is charity. To help someone load his pack is charity. To say a good word is charity. To remove any harmful thing from the road is charity.'
[Bukhari, Muslim: Abu Hurayrah]

It is these small acts of kindness that treat the sick, comfort the dispaired and give hope to the forgotten.

Masalaama,

Samia

Good Deeds are our Best Friends

Assalaam-u-aliakum Reader,

I just watched this video on youtube and felt that it should be shared. Enjoy!




It reminded me that we all need to remember that when we die, it is only our good deeds that we will take with us to the Hereafter. 


I started a charity campaign a few weeks ago so please make du'a that I succeed in my endeavour, that Allah (swt) accepts my efforts and that He blesses all those people who helped and donated to the cause. 


Fi-imaanullah


Nida     

The 99 Names of Allah

As-salaam-ul-ailakum Readers,

Just a quick post from me today. While reading the Noble Qur'an last night a thought occurred to me. Which two of the 99 Names of Allah (SWT) do we know him by the most?

It is not Al-Qabid, the Restrainer or Al-Bas'it, the Expander but rather Ar-Rahman, the Most Gracious and Ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful. These are His first two names after Allah, but they also form the main part of 'Bismillah' - a phrase we say before starting anything and everything, a phrase we take for granted.

I think that Allah - the Almighty who knows what is best - is trying to tell us something through 'Bismillah': that He wants the most to be known as the beneficent giver and all forgiving. I believe He wants us to ask Him, and Him alone, for everything and for forgiveness. This is something we often neglect to do in this high-speed modern life of ours, where praying times are cut short by phone calls and appointments. When all we really have to do is raise our hands, supplicate and ask Him for everything and for forgiveness.

My brothers and sisters in Islam, during these last 10 days of Ramadaan, as we seek Laila-tul-Qadar, please remember to ask wholeheartedly for forgiveness for all your sins and transgressions, those committed knowingly and unknowingly. Inshallah, your prayers will be answered. And make sure you truly forgive anyone who has ever wronged you, because attaining the forgiveness from man is much harder than that from Allah (SWT).

Make Du'a for me as I make Du'a for you and our Ummah.

Fi-amanullah

Nida

Regret

Assalaam-u-alaikum,

I hope I find you in the best of health and iman inshAllah. We are now in the last few blessed days of Ramadhan and I make du'ah that Allah Subhana-hu-wata'ala accepts all the good deeds that we have done and grants us Laylatul Qadr inshAllah.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, so I thought I should take the opportunity to write it now. =)

Regret.

We have all experienced this emotion at one point in our lives I'm sure. And I'm also pretty sure that we will feel regret in the near future - we are only human and making mistakes are inevitable. The feeling of 'If only... I had done this/ hadn't done that' or 'If only... I had thought about it' and quite a common one, 'If only... I had listened!'.

Imagine, that your mother or father has asked you to wash their car. So you take the keys and you decide to reverse the car to make it easy for yourself, without their knowledge. Whilst reversing, you step on gas instead of break, smashing into a post behind you. The rear of the car has been damaged significantly. SubhanAllah, you are scared. What will you do now, what will you say to your parent/s? How will you face them, knowing that you have done such a foolish thing, knowing that any justification will not suffice? You wish so much, that you could turn back time. Imagine walking towards the front door of your house, thinking of what you have done, what you will say and the grief that it will put your mother/father through.

This is but a small example of regret, compared to the greatness of what we will all most definitely have to face in the Hereafter. And this is what I would like to delve into today. When we will stand in front of our Lord, with the account of our lives open, our hair grey with worry and our faces forlorn with fear. We will have no one to turn to for protection and nowhere to hide.

When we think of the Hereafter, most of us think about the Day of Judgement. But we forget about death itself, when we will come face to face with the angel of death and our souls will be taken out of our body - like a strand of hair being taken out of dough.

"Say: The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your soul. Then you shall be brought to your Lord. And if you only could see when the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), that we now believe with certainty. " Surah As-Sajdah Verses 11 & 12

But then, it will be too late. No matter how much our regret on that day, and no matter how much we plead and repent, we will not be given a second chance. No one to blame, but ourselves:

"And Satan says, when the matter has been decided: Allah promised you a promise of truth; and I promised you, then failed you. And I had no power over you except that I called to you and you obeyed me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me, I disbelieved in that which you before ascribed to me. For wrong doers is a painful doom." Suratul Ibrahim Verse 22

In Suratul Mulk Verses 7 to 11, Allah Azawajal describes to us the conversation between the gate keepers of hell and its inhabitants:

"When they are flung in it (the fire of hell) they hear its roaring as it boils up, as if it would burst with rage. Whenever a (fresh) group is flung in it the gaurdians of it ask them: Came there to you no warner? They say: Yes, verily, a warner came to us; but we denied and said: Allah has revealed nothing; you are in nothing but a great errror. And they say: Had we listened or had sense, we would not have been among the dwellers in the flames. So they acknowledge their sins; but far removed (from mercy) are the dwellers in the flames."

This is a reminder for myself before it is to you inshAllah; as long as we are alive, we have the ability to change ourselves. A second chance that is given to us again and again by Almighty Allah, to repent and attain rewards for doing good. None of us are perfect. We sin knowingly and unknowingly, we say foolish things at times, and hurt people with our actions and behaviour. We shouldn't let pride nor ignorance become the veil over our hearts; there is always space for change and improvement, with every aspect of our character and worship. Allah knows best.

So, let us take heed now inshAllah and save ourselves from regret after we die.

In these last few days, please increase your recitation of this du'ah:

"Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun kareemun tuhibbul 'afwa fa' fu 'annee

O Allah, You are the best forgiver, beneficient and merciful. You love forgiveness so forgive me." At-Tirmidhi

Lastly, whenever we feel the affect of this dunya playing on us, let us remember this ayat (verse) inshAllah, where Allah Subhana-hu-wata'ala tells us:

"Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) good pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."

That was from Suratul Hadid Verse 20.

Remember me in your du'ah inshAllah. May Allah Azawajal make us of the companions of the Prophet Sallallahu-'alaihi-wassalam in Jannah tul Firdous. Ameen.

Masalaama,

Samia

Introductory Post

As-salaam-ul-ailakum Readers,

I am Nida Bhatti and will also be posting on IslamBites along with my talented friend Samia. Well, I'll be posting whenever Allah (SWT) permits or gives me enough inspiration to write.

What I really wanted to write about today was the history of Islam and how we can still apply it to our lives today. Now, of course, due to limited time and space, I can't give you the full account of everything that happened - there's enough information to fill a book, several books in fact. But what I aim to do, Inshallah, is to take certain aspects of our modern lives and relate them to the Prophet's (SAW) life.

But before I begin, I wanted to share this video that a friend of mine showed me on Thursday. It's about this man, Ruben, who went on a "Holy Quest" and after exploring every major religion, decided to convert to Islam and change his name to Abu Bakr. It's quite funny as well, so I definitely recommend that you watch it.

Part 1:

Part 2:

When he said "I've never been kissed by that many men, in my life. It was a beautiful day I must admit. That day was the day I had more brothers than I could imagine, more sisters as well..." it got me thinking about the Islamic community. We are, in fact, supposed to be a very loving and polite Ummah. Now, it is a well known fact that the Prophet (SAW) was the epitome of good manners and greatly loved by all his Companions and followers. Even Abu Sufyan, his enemy at the time, told Caesar how well mannered, honest and trust-worthy the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was. And his (SAW) is the behaviour we ought to be imitating.

One of the easy things we can do to "spread the love" is just greet every brother/sister in Islam, that we meet, with a smile and the proper greeting 'As-salaam-u-alaikum Wa-rehmatullahi Wa-barakatuhu'. By saying this, we are asking Allah (SWT) to bestow peace, mercy and blessing upon that person because:

1) Salaam means peace in Arabic - in fact, word Islam is also derived from salaam as well.

2) Rehmat means mercy

3) Baraka is Arabic for blessing

Now, what I don't understand is that how can the religion that takes it's name from the word peace and encourages us to greet people with peace, mercy and blessings, also be the religion of violence and terrorism, as today's media portray's it to be?

Which reminds me! The Prophet (SAW) would never condone acts of violence, like 9/11, that involved killing innocent people. Just take for example Abu Dujanah (Radiallahu-anhu):

It is narrated in Al-Bukhari, that on the eve of the Battle of Uhud, Muhammed (SAW) gave his sword to Abu Dujanah (RAN). This made him really excited and he started strutting around the Muslim's camp, wearing his red bandanna, the sword raised above his head saying things like: I've got a special sword. I'm going to kill lots of evil people. [Note: this is not an exact quote.] To which the Prophet (SAW) replied:

"This is a sort of walking that Allah hates, except in such a situation."

[Aside: I can just image Muhammed (SAW) saying that with a smile on his face, or even laughing.] So the next day, there's Abu Dujanah (RAN) - a big, fierce, 200-push-ups-a-day sort of a man - in the midst of the heated battle, swinging the sword around, hacking away at the enemy, the Quaraish, when he suddenly stops. Because there in front of him is a woman. (You see, the Quaraish soldiers used to bring their wives and slave-women along to the wars with them so that they would "encourage and arouse" the men before battle). Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwam (RAN), who witnessed this incident, said:

"Into the thick of the battle, he (Abu Dujanah RAN) rushed to kill a person who was inciting the enemy to fight the Muslims. Upon this, the person shrieked and lo! it was a woman. Abu Dujanah spared her saying 'I respect the Prophet and his sword too much to use it on a woman.'" (i.e. the Prophet would not have been happy about the cold hearted killing of a woman.)

On a side note, I just briefly wanted to mention Jihad. Jihad actually means to struggle in the cause of Allah. Now, this struggle can be as simple and as personal as a struggle against your inner demons, it doesn't have to be an all out war. And as for those people who commit heinous crimes (like killing innocent people) in the name of "Jihad", have not read the Qur'an or don't actually understand it and the ideology of Islam. Only Allah (SWT) knows best.

Anyway, I think that's quite enough from me today. Take care my brothers and sisters.
Fi-anamullah
Nida

Khushu in Salat

Allah SWT states in the Holy Qur’an:

“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who humble themselves in their Salah.” Suratul Mu’minun: Verse 1-2

Khushu – from the root khashia – is a condition of the heart, meaning humbleness and tranquillity. Khushu in Salah is when this inner feeling of humility, submission and fear of Allah SWT is reflected in the physical self, called khudu.

By attaining khushu, not only is the believer being cured from laziness and reaping all the rewards of their worship, but they are also reducing the heavy burden of Salah. Allah SWT has said:

“and seek help in patience and Salah and truly it is a difficult matter, except for Al-Khashi’un (those who humble themselves)”. Suratul Baqarah:Verse 45

Al-khushu will be the first thing to be removed from the face of the earth at the end of time and it is also something that Shaitan – may Allah SWT curse him – has tried to take away from us right from the beginning. He has vowed to misguide and tempt the sons of Adam, saying :

“then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left.” Suratul A’raaf: Verse 17

And what could be a better way to lead this Ummah astray than to abolish the direct communication between servant and the Creator?

As with every aspect of our deen, we must keep our intensions purely for the sake of Allah. When we stand in prayer in the masjid or with our friends, we can sometimes outwardly perfect our prayers to show our piety, but how many of us truly feel the delight of Salah and the sincere closeness to our Lord?

One of the Prophet’s Companians used to say:

“I seek refuge with Allah from hypocritical khushu”, he was asked: “What is hypocritical khushu?” He replied: “When the body appears submissive while the heart is not.”

Attaining khushu is not easy and we will never be able to make our Salah perfect, however as true believers we must learn from the best example – our beloved Nabi SAW – surely there is great reward in trying to improve our character and attain excellence in our worship.

Here are just a few, out of many ways, by which we can increase concentration in our daily prayers.

1. Preparing for Salah by repeating the Adhan with the muadhdhin and making duah for the Prophet SAW after it, performing proper wudu and making duah and dhikr after it, cleaning the mouth with siwak and wearing your best and cleanest clothes, as Allah SWT says:

“O Children of Adam! Take your adornment at every place of worship.” Suratul A’raf: Verse 31

2. We must ensure tranquillity in our Salah by spending the proper time in ruku and sujud and by not rushing any of the actions. On the authority of Abu Abdillah al – Ash’ari RA, the Prophet SAW said:

“The one who does not complete his Ruku’ and hastens in his Sujud is like a hungry person who eats a date or two, they are of no avail to him.”

3. The Prophet SAW said: “Remember death during Salah, because if a man remembers death during his Salah, it is more likely that he will perform it perfectly; and pray as if it is your last Salah.”

4. Allah SWT commands us to recite the Qur’an in a slow and rhythmic tone, and to ponder upon His Ayat.

He, the Almighty, has said:

“Recite the Qur’an in slow, measured and rhythmic tones”. Suratul Muzzammil: Verse 4.

And

“This is a Book that We have revealed unto you, full of blessings, that they may ponder its revelations, that men of understanding may reflect.” Sa’d: Verse 29

This highlights the importance of knowing what we are reciting and to understand the words of Allah whilst standing in prayer.

5. As I have mentioned before the Shaitan is always trying to interrupt our worship of Allah SWT and remind us of worldly and foul things, especially during our Salah. The Prophet SAW has given advice that we should seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Shaitan and spit three times to our left, when we perceive this effect.

He SAW has also said:

“Whenever anyone of you stands for the prayers, Satan comes to put doubt in his mind till he forgets how many Rak’ats he has prayed. So if this happens to anyone of you, he should perform two postrations of Sahw (forgetfulness) while sitting.” Reported by Abu Huraira, Sahih al- Bukhari.

Reciting different Surahs and making du’a during Salah may also help to attain concentration.

In order to increase our khushu we must also try to avoid things such as:

Praying when food is present or when prompted by the call of nature, praying when feeling sleepy or yawning during Salah, praying behind a talking person, disturbing others with loud recitation, raising one’s eyes to the sky, trailing garments during Salah and imitating animals.

Let me end with the beautiful words with which I started:

“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who humble themselves in their Salah.” Suratul Mu’minun: Verses 1-2

May this message be a reminder and the beginning of a great improvement for you and I both. I make duah that Allah SWT helps us to attain khushu in our Salah and to increase our Taqwa in this blessed month and for the rest of our lives. Ameen.

Samia Hussain